Britain's new giant aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived at its new home in Portsmouth, southern England, on Wednesday.
The 306-yard ship set out in June from the Rosyth dockyard in Scotland, where it was built, and since then has been tested at sea, Sky News reported.
The ship will not be fully operational until 2020 and has not yet been formally commissioned, containing no aircraft at present.
Theresa May, speaking at the arrival ceremony, hailed the ship as speaking to the U.K.'s history as a "great global maritime nation."
"Britain can be proud of this ship and what it represents.
"It sends a clear signal that as Britain forges a new, positive, confident role on the world stage in the years ahead we are determined to remain a fully engaged global power, working closely with our friends and allies around the world.
"Whether the task be high intensity war-fighting, targeted action to fight terrorism, or humanitarian relief to save lives overseas, these ships will transform the U.K.'s ability to project power around the world," May added.
The carrier is the first in a new type of ship for Britain's Navy, called the "Queen Elizabeth class." A second ship in the class, the HMS Prince of Wales, is currently in development.
Both new ships combined will set the country back over £6 billion ($7.6 billion), so they are a significant investment for a state whose defense budget for 2017-18 is just £48 billion ($61 billion).
The U.K. has not had an aircraft carrier since 2014, when the smaller Invincible class of ships were taken out of service.
Commanding officer Captain Jerry Kydd told the BBC in June that the development would boost Britain's standing as a naval power. "I think there are very few capabilities, by any country, that are as symbolic as a carrier strike capability," he said. "Submarines you can't see, but these are very visible symbols of power and power projection."
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